Semi-automatic apparatus for the opening, filling and sealing of bags



May 18, 1965 J. BOONE 3,133,641

SEMI-AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR THE OPENING, FILLING AND SEALING- OF BAGS Filed Nov. 20, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 A B C D I I I I TOR Josgpn BaoNE May 18, 1965 Filed NOV. 20. 1961 J. BOONE SEMI-AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR THE OPENING, FILLING AND SEALING BAGS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 25 16 w r *3 L 4 I 58 Q r L1 INVENTOR JosEPH B-o NE Anti-95.

May 18, 1 J. BOONE 3,183,641 SEMI-AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR THE OPENING, FILLING AND SEALING OF BAGS Filed Nov. 20, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.3.

I NVENToR 0'06 E PH BOONE United States Patent 3,183,641 SEMI-AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR THE OPEN- ING, FILLING AND SEALING 0F BAGS Joseph Boone, Vedrin, Belgium, assignor to Marius Berghgracht, Gent, Belgium Filed Nov. 20, 1961, Ser. No. 153,505 Claims priority, application France, Nov. 21, 1960, 844,937 8 Claims. (Cl. 53190) The invention is concerned with a semi-automatic apparatus for the conditioning, in scalable bags or sachets, of solid or liquid materials such as biscuits, granular materials, powders, and liquids of varying viscosities.

The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which can be operated by a single person, simplifying and accelerating the various movements so as to ensure a high output from the apparatus.

For this purpose, the invention provides an apparatus comprising a mobile carriage movable along a guideway and supporting a jig intended to receive a bag and having double Walls which are perforated internally and connected to a vacuum source in order to open the bag under the action of this vacuum, means for introducing a bag into the said jig, a handle fast with the said jig and carrying an element for controlling the vacuum effective in the jig, means for introducing the desired material into the bag after it has been opened, a device for sealing the filled bag, to which the bag is brought by a specific displacement along the said guideway, and means for finally evacuating the bag from the said jig.

According to the invention also, the introduction of a bag into the jig can be etfected by the operation of a control element automatically producing the displacement of a suction cup arm for removing a bag from the magazine by the action of the vacuum in the suction cup, and bringing the bag to above the jig and depositing it in the said jig by the automatic elimination of the vacuum in the suction cup.

The invention also provides a jig provided with a retractable bottom, means for automatically opening the said bottom when the jig is displaced beyond the sealing device, in order to ensure the automatic evacuation of the filled bag, the vacuum being eliminated in the jig, and means for automatically closing the said bottom when the jig is returned to its initial position.

According to still another feature of the invention, the bag is sealed automatically when the jig is brought into a specific position, under the control of a contact operated by an abutment provided on the jig, so as to cause sealing elements to act for the desired amount of time on the bag in order to effect the closing of the said bag.

In order to facilitate the operation of closing the bag, the invention also proposes that the open end of the said bag can be folded by means of flaps articulated to the upper end of the jig, from which the bag projects for a certain distance, these flaps being operated under the control of a lever provided on the jig. This lever is preferably arranged in the interior of the handle of the jig, which also carries the element for controlling the vacuum effective in the jig, so that the operator with a single hand can carry out these two control operations even simultaneously, as well as the desired displacement of the jig with its carriage.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be brought out from the description of an example of embodiment which will be given hereinafter with reference to the attached diagrammatic drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of

FIGURE 3 is a view on a larger scale of the sealing device.

In these drawings, 1 designates the frame of themachine, which supports a bag magazine 2. The word bag is intended to cover bags or sachets made of paper, complex or any similar material, more particularly a hot-sealable material or a material which is lined at least at the closing zone with a hot-scalable coating or varnish, it being possible for these bags to be of various forms but being advantageously in the form of bags having pleats and a fiat bottom which are in the folded-flat state in the said magazine. A carriage 3 is mounted for rolling movement, by rollers 4, on a rail 5, constituting a guideway. This carriage carries a jig 6 intended to receive a bag for filling, this jig being adapted to be brought successively into four stations, respectively a station A for the introduction of a bag into the jig and the opening of the bag, station B for the filling of the bag, station C for the sealing of the bag, and station D for the evacuation of the bag. These stations advantageously follow one another in a straight line as illustrated, but their arrangement may be varied. The stations A and B could coincide with one another provided that there is a suitable arrangement of the measuring charging device, at least for certain types of merchandise. Similarly, stations C and D may coincide with one another for example if the bottom of the jigcan be disengaged to release the bag after it has been sealed.

The jig 6 with the carriage 3 is manoeuvred by means of a handle 7 which carries a control knob 8 and a lever 9 displaceable against the action of a return spring 10, the function of which will be stated hereinafter.

The introduction of a bag from the magazine 1 into the jig 6 is effected by means of a suction cup 11 carried by a tubular arm 12 pivoting about its lower end and connected to a vacuum source 13. The movement of the pipe 12 with the suction cup 11 is brought about by the operation of a control knob 14 which displaces an electromagnet from position 15 to position 15, thus bringing the suction cup from position 11' to position 11. During this displacement, a valve 16, arranged in the pipe 12 and initially closed, has been opened owing to the action of its spring-loaded arm 17 on the fixed abutment 18, thus creating a vacuum in the suction cup which as a result engages the first bag of the magazine 1. The actuation of the knob 14 being very brief, for example a mere pressure of the knee, the pipe falls by gravity from 12 to 12', and a second abutment 19 acts on the arm 17 to reclose the valve 16 so as to eliminate the vacuum in the suction cup and release the bag Which it has engaged, the said bag then falling into the jig 6 which at this instant is at the station A. The opening of the bag can be begun by a blowing pipe 20. The operator then effects a control operation at the knob 8, this causing the opening of the valve 21 by means of an electromagnet 22, which creates a negative pressure in the hollow envelope 23 of the jig 6, which envelope is provided with perforations in its inner walls so as to produce the complete opening of the bag.

The jig is then brought into the station B where the bag is filled in any suitable manner, for example by means of a measuring charging device 24 for solid, granular or liquid materials, this charging device possibly being controlled by a micro-contact fixed to the jig.

For certain merchandise, for example biscuits, it may be advantageous to eifect charging horizontally, and for this purpose, the jig 6 can be mounted pivotably on the carriage 3 so as to be capable of bringing the said jig into the position 6', this movement being permitted owing to the provision of a flexible pipe connected to the vacuum source.

After the filling operation, the operator acts on the lever 9 which produces the pivoting of the flaps 25,

mounted on the upper end of the jig to fold the end of the bag which issues from the said jig. The movement of the lever may, for example, be transmitted to the said flaps by cables 26 conducted over small pulleys 27. This folding flattens the end of the bag and prepares it for sealing by the device 28, when the jig has been brought into the station C.

On reaching this position, an abutment 29 carried by the jig actuates the micro-contact of the time switch 30 which determines the instant of closing the preferably conventionally heated jaws of the sealing device 28, and

also the time during which the jaws are closed, which is.

adjustable. Thesaid time switch releases the electromagnet 31 which opens the multi-way cock 32, the apertures in the inner ring 33 being then situated in the position a a, so'that a negative pressure is establishedin the cylinder 34, thus causing the descent of the cup 35 so as to bring about, by means of rodding 36, the closing of the jaws 28 articulated at 37, which press and seal the opening of the bag. When the sealing time determined by the time switch has elapsed, the electromagnet 31 returns the apertures in the inner ring 33 to the position b b, thus re-establishing the communication between the cylinder 34 and the outside air, so that the jaws 28 move apart from one another and disengage from the bag.

Henceforth, the filled bag is finishysealed and can be evacuated from the jig in any suitable manner. According to the invention, this evacuation of the bag can be carried out automatically after its sealing, owing to the provision of a separable bottom portion 38 on the jig 6, permitting the bag to be discharged fromthe jig by gravity as soon as it is sealed. In one particularly advantageous form of embodiment of the separable upper and bottom portions of the jig are slidably mounted relative to one another being normally together by a spring-loaded ball connection or the like, permitting the relative sliding the jig top and the bottom as soon as one of these elements is retained by a resistance and the other is subjected to horizontal pressure. The form of embodiment of this kind is illustrated in the accompanying. drawings. If such a pressure is exerted on the jig when it is in the position C, after the wonking time of the time switch 30, the bottom 38 is retained whilst the jig 6 can be brought to the station D where the filled and sealed bag can freely escape by gravity from the jig. The latter is then returned into station A, entraining the bottom 38 from the station C onwards, and the cycle of operations can recomme-nce.

It will be clear from the foregoing description that the apparatus according to the invention can be operated by a single operator, and by using a single vacuum source for all the operations which have to be carried out, which is particularly simple and economical.

It should be noted that the process of folding and closing the bag is greatly simplified owing to the fact that the walls of the bag are applied against the inner walls of the hollow jig 6 which is connected to a vacuum source.

By choosing the height of the jig so that it corresponds to the height of the product which the bag is to contain, the walls of the bag will be applied against the jig up to this height, which permits the folding and closing of the bag at the level of the said product, without the bag tending to detach itself from the jig and therefore without any pressure being exerted on the liquid, pasty or pulverulent products which the bag may contain, and which will therefore not tend to penetrate into the welded joint, which would impair the quality of the said joint.

It will be apparent that, without departing from the scope of the invention, various modifications may be made in the constructional means described in order to carry out the functions defined in the foregoing description.

What I claim is:

1. In a semiautomatic machine for the feeding, filling and sealing of solid orliquid materials in bags, the combination comprising a guideway, a mobile carriage ,mounted for alternative movement along said guideway,

a rigid jig .and having an upper open end and intended to receive a bag, the jig being supported by said carriage and having spaced double walls surrounding an inner open space having a transverse section substantially corresponding to that of an opened bag,'the inner walls of said jig having perforations, a handle secured to said jig for displacing the latter by an operator along said guideway successively to a plurality of separate work stations, a flexible pipe connecting the space between said double walls to a vacuum source, and a control element mounted on said handle to be actuated by the operator for each application of the vacuum to said space.

, the inner walls of said jig. having perforations, a flexible pipe for connecting the space between said double walls to a vacuum source, a handle secured to said jig for displacing the latter by an operator along said guideway successively to a plurality of separate workstations, a control element mounted on said handle to be actuated by the operator for each application of the vacuum to said space, means for sealing a bag after filling at the bag portion projecting above the jig, a time switch for actuating said sealing means and abutment means provided on the jig for actuating said switchand thus said sealing means upon displacement of the jig to a sealing station.

'3. In a semiautomatic machine for the feeding, filling and sealing of solid or liquid materials in bags, the combination comprising a guideway, a mobile carriage mounted for. alternative-movement along said guideway, a jig intended to receive a bag, the jig being supported by said carriage and having double walls surrounding an inner open space having a transverse section substantially corresponding to that of an opened bag and a height corresponding at least to that of the bag portion intended to contain filling material but smaller than that of the bag, the inner wall having perforations, a flexible pipe connecting the space between said double walls to a vacuum source, a handle secured to said jig for displacing the latter along said guideway successively to a plurality of separate stations, one for introducing a bag into the jig, one for fillingthe bag, one for sealing the bag, and one for removing the filled bag from the jig, respectively, a control element mounted on said handle to be actuated by the operator for each application of the vacuum to said space, said jig being provided with a retractable bottom, means-for sealing a bag after filling at the bag portion projecting above the jig, a time switch for actuating said sealing means, abutment means provided on the jig for actuating said time switch and thus said sealing means upon displacement of the jig to the sealing station and for retracting said bottom from the jig upon displacement of the latter beyond said sealing station.

. jig bottom is slidably connected to said jig by means of a friction-type sliding connection.

6. The combination as claimed in'claim 3 wherein said sealing means comprises a vacuum cylinder having a stationary elementand .amobile element, articulated sealing jaws connected by rodding to said mobile element, said vacuum cylinder being connected to said vacuum source through a multi-way cock normally occupying a position in which the said cylinder is open to atmosphere and disconnected from the vacuum source, a-n electromagnet to be actuated during a predetermined period of time by said time switch, thereby to bring said multi-way cock in a position closing the said vacuum cylinder from atmosphere and connecting it to said vacuum source to move said sealing jaws together, the said electromagnet moving said cock back to its normal position after said period of time.

7. The combination as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a bag magazine, a suction cup mounted on a suction cup arm movable between a first position in which the suction cup is located above the jig when it is at the station for introducing a bag therein, and a second position in which the suction cup is in contact with a bag in the magazine, said arm being hollow and connected to said vacuum source and being mounted to be pivotable about its end remote from said suction cup, said end being located so that the said arm has the tendency to return by gravity to its first position, means for moving said arm from said first to said second position, valve means mounted in said arm for alternately opening and closing its connection to said vacuum source, a control lever on said arm for actuating said valve means, abutment means for actuating said lever during the movement of said arm from said first to said second position, thereby to open said valve means, and abutment means for actuating said lever during its movement from said second to said first position, thereby to close said valve means.

8. The combination as claimed in claim 3 in which the jig is mounted for pivoting movement on said carriage about a side edge of its lower end, through substantially perpendicularly to said guideway, the jig being connected by a flexible pipe to said vacuum source.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,563,715 12/25 Boulanger 53-378 2,781,620 2/57 Hopkins 53--190 X 2,815,621 12/57 Carter 5322 2,834,166 5/58 Fogwell et a1 53--190 X 2,888,794 6/59 Meyer-Jagenburg 53379 X FOREIGN PATENTS 749,897 6/56 Great Britain.

FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT A. LEIGHEY, TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE,

Examiners. 

1. IN A SEMIAUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR THE FEEDING, FILLING AND SEALING OF SOLID OR LIQUID MATERIALS IN BAGS, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A GUIDEWAY, A MOBILE CARRIAGE MOUNTED FOR ALTERNATIVE MOVEMENT ALONG SAID GUIDEWAY, A RIGID JIG AND HAVING AN UPPER OPEN END AND INTENDED TO RECEIVE A BAG, THE JIG BEING SUPPORTED BY SAID CARRIAGE AND HAVING SPACED DOUBLE WALLS SURROUNDING AN INNER OPEN SPACE HAVING A TRANSVERSE SECTION SUBSTANTIALLY CORRESPONDING TO THAT OF AN OPENED BAG, THE INNER WALLS OF SAID JIG HAVING PERFORATIONS, A HANGLE SECURED TO SAID JIG FOR DISPLACING THE LATTER BY AN OPERATOR ALONG SAID GUIDEWAY SUCCESSIVELY TO A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE WORK STATIONS, A FLEXIBLE PIPE CONNECTING THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID DOUBLE WALLS TO A VACUUM SOURCE, AND A CONTROL ELEMENT MOUNTED ON SAID HANDLE TO BE ACTUATED BY THE OPERATOR FOR EACH APPLICATION OF THE VACUUM TO SAID SPACE. 